Kbb.com Redesign Eliminates Complexities of Car Research: Launches Multiple New Features Assisting Shoppers in Making More Informed Car-Buying Decisions

Addition of Reality Check(SM) for New Cars and Total Cost of Ownership Helps Visitors Better Understand Financial Implications of Vehicle Purchase

News provided by

Kelley Blue Book

May 26, 2011, 04:47 ET

IRVINE, Calif., May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Kelley Blue Book today announces a redesign of its top-rated website www.kbb.com, revolutionizing the way consumers research new car and used car information. The site's new task-based navigation shifts the standard online car-research paradigm, delivering the information visitors need in a faster, more engaging manner.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/kbb/47373/

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110524/MM06626LOGO )

Additionally, Kelley Blue Book is re-launching kbb.com with many new tools to help car shoppers determine which vehicle best meets their needs in a clear and pragmatic manner. The site provides the tools shoppers need to determine how best to stretch their wallet and get the most car for their dollar in today's economy by utilizing Kelley Blue Book's accurate data and information. New tools now available on kbb.com include Reality Check(SM) for New Cars and Total Cost of Ownership, both calculated with Kelley Blue Book's sophisticated valuation forecasting model and critical financial data from third-party providers. These new tools provide shoppers with up-to-date, easy-to-read charts and graphs showing them what others typically are paying for a new car this week, and providing a clear understanding of the financial implications associated with overall vehicle ownership costs through the initial five-year ownership period.

The new task-based navigation on kbb.com's homepage represents more than 18 months of extensive consumer research and testing. After working closely with thousands of in-market car shoppers, Kelley Blue Book determined that shoppers on kbb.com are looking for car pricing and values based on the goal they are trying to achieve, rather than just the standard vehicle paths of 'new' or 'used,' which has been a traditional navigation standard among most car-shopping and research websites.

"The redesigned kbb.com brings a heightened level of transparency to vehicle values and new-car pricing via all-new design and shopping tools," said Mike Wulf, director of product management for Kelley Blue Book. "The new approach eliminates the confusion and angst consumers feel during the research process by taking what is often perceived as complex information and displaying it in a way that is visual and easy to understand."

Reality Check for New Cars: This new tool on every kbb.com new-car pricing report provides the ‘Fair Purchase Price’ and is based on actual transaction prices from thousands of franchise dealers across the country. Reality Check for New Cars reveals what others typically are paying for a specific new car this week in a car-buyer’s geographical area. For more information, click here.

Total Cost of Ownership: New, easy-to-understand charts and graphs help car shoppers make informed shopping decisions by breaking down total ownership costs for the initial five-year vehicle ownership period, including depreciation costs, expected fuel costs, typical insurance costs and more by make and model. The new tool allows consumers to compare these costs to similar vehicles. For more information, click here.

Expert Reviews & Ratings: Kelley Blue Book’s dedicated editorial staff has driven and reviewed nearly all of the common makes and models of cars consumers see on the road today and provides straightforward assessments and information, including features that show what consumers might like, and what they might not like, about each particular new car. The kbb.com editorial team also provides driving impressions, favorite features, and of course, pricing notes for each new vehicle they review. In addition, kbb.com’s expert editors create informative and entertaining video reviews for many of the hottest new cars on the road today, and keep car shoppers up-to-date with the latest in automotive news. For more information, click here.

Consumer Reviews & Ratings: Kelley Blue Book believes that no other third-party automotive website has more insightful consumer reviews than kbb.com. Shoppers and researchers can make more informed buying decisions by exploring what long-term owners and drivers think, and see how they rate a specific car before purchasing. For more information, click here.

For more information about the new tools featured on the redesigned kbb.com, click here.

For more information and news from Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com, visit www.kbb.com/media/, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kelleybluebook (or @kelleybluebook), or like our page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kbb.

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)

Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the industry. Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website www.kbb.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In and Retail Values and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new cars this week. The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies as well as governmental agencies. Kbb.com is a leading provider of new car prices, used car values, car reviews, new cars for sale, used cars for sale, and car dealer locations. Kelley Blue Book Co. Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AutoTrader.com.

SOURCE Kelley Blue Book